Latin for Beginners eBook

101. You are now able to form four important
rules for the ablative denoting with:

102. RULE. Ablative of Cause. Cause
is denoted by the ablative without a preposition.
This answers the question Because of what?

103. RULE. Ablative of Means. Means
is denoted by the ablative without a preposition.
This answers the question By means of what? With
what?

N.B. Cum\ must never be used with the ablative
expressing cause or means.

104. RULE. Ablative of Accompaniment.
Accompaniment is denoted by the ablative with /cum\.
This answers the question With whom?

105. RULE. Ablative of Manner. The
ablative with /cum\ is used to denote the manner of
an action. /Cum\ may be omitted, if an adjective is
used with the ablative. This answers the question
How? In what manner?

106. What uses of the ablative do you discover
in the following passage, and what question does each
answer?

The soldiers marched to the fort with great speed
and broke down the gate with blows of their muskets.
The inhabitants, terrified by the din, attempted to
cross the river with their wives and children, but
the stream was swollen with (or by) the rain.
Because of this many were swept away by the waters
and only a few, almost overcome with fatigue, with
great difficulty succeeded in gaining the farther shore.

II. 1. The sturdy farmers of Italy labor in the
fields with great diligence. 2. Sextus, the lieutenant,
and (his) son Mark are fighting with the Germans.
3. The Roman legionaries are armed with long spears.
4. Where is Lesbia, your maid, Sextus? Lesbia
is with my friends in Galba’s cottage. 5.
Many are sick because of bad water and for lack of
food. 6. The Germans, with (their) sons and daughters,
are hastening with horses and wagons.

LESSON XVI

THE NINE IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES

108. There are nine irregular adjectives of
the first and second declensions which have a peculiar
termination in the genitive and dative singular of
all genders:

MASC. FEM. NEUT.
Gen. -i:us -i:us -i:us
Dat. -i: -i: -i:

Otherwise they are declined like bonus, -a, -um\.
Learn the list and the meaning of each: